Well done Michael Bay - Four words I thought I would never say.

Rating: 6/10 (31 July 2010)

Like how The Lovely Bones was misapprehend critically, The Island has been misjudged as another Michael Bay misfire when in fact, until his release of the TV-series based film of Transformers (forgetting its floptastic sequel) it's clearly definable as one of the highest point of this director's career, in an otherwise roller-coaster of filmography.
Though the ideas from script writers have gathered controversy for the nit-picking taken from other films/source materials (the Wachowski brothers have been looted both visually and in script) it's unoriginal reinterpretation of a future utopia shows rigorous control for a director fond of one to many explosions by not detracting from the 'Fallout 3 of an opening plot' immediately.
For a summer film (back when it was released) it side steps the imperfections of a mediocre final battle of the bests' as well as the popcorn movie related dominance of detonations after the first hour for this reason.
Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor) has lived in his perfect utopia for three years yet is disbelieving and curious of why more survivors from the 'contamination' outside, keep being found and the knowledge that the lottery maybe fixed, which leads him and friend Jordan Two Delta (Johansson) into escaping from their haven to uncover the truth.
It's not particularly close to the intellectually mind-bending action/scripting of superior sci-fi's, but for a film that didn't even earn a successful box office, hasn't come close to gathering a cult following and based bountifully among the concepts of its equals in the same genre, The Island did in it's own right fill the shoes of imaginative expectations and uses a plot which is carried firmly on the shoulders of it's two leads once its found its feet.
McGregor and Johansson play off each others naivety convincingly enough to be dumbfound at the new lifestyle and imperfections of a contemporary world.
It's a shame a terrible trailer which looked more like for a holiday rather than briefly highlighting the enjoyment of their relationship and story in the time it had, would have not doubt strayed viewers elsewhere (the crew should watch Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch trailer: now that's a trailer).
But as far as the films goes, the misleading trailer shouldn't detach from a genuinely fun sci-fi that only causes irritation in the fact that Michael refused Scarlett Johansson to go topless as to keep a suitable rating. With slight exaggeration though, box office sales would have been more through the roof than Avatar if that had happened, not that anyone should feel bitter about it (the muppet).